sigh no more

“you pointed me out quickly enough, but…” she smiled, “i suppose the magic on these wore off,” she pulled her mask off, “but that’s too bad, i was hoping for a dance from you,” she moved towards the doors, smiling and subtly shaking her head as she watched him, her nerves not at all making it possible to notice the stray hair doc placed behind her ear, “thank you,” she lowered her eyes with a gentle smile. Laughing softly to herself, she shook her head, “thank you, caradoc, lamo-o gryffindor is probably recycling his compliments to make everyone swoon, yeah?” she teased while running a hand down the sides of her dress, the ragged feel of jewels under her palm, “you alright? you look like you’re thinking about somethin’.”

“It’s all the lighting out here,” Doc assured her, looking around at the chandliers. “Much darker in there, no one will recognize you, ‘sepcially if you’re in the cashew stealin’ business.” He smiled, popping another cashew into his mouth. It had looked very nice in there- but there was hardly any lighting. People bumping around into one another. Etcetera. It made his chest hurt a bit being in there with all of the upperclassman. “I’m alright. You just look really nice, is all. It looks like fun in there- I’m sure you’ll have a...a ball.” He winked.

gabriella didn’t want to go, but her dress was finally flown in from Lebanon and after hours of a staring match with her dress, she finally decided to put her dress on and go downstairs to the great hall. with her dress called up in her hand to clear the path before arriving before the double doors of the great hall, her eyes immediately entranced by the color and decorations. the second she stepped into the great hall, she was knocked back, stepping away with her hands before her, “oh my god, i’m so sorr–” gabriella reached up to her ace, for her mask before she looked doc over and his casual wear before a smile crept on her lips when she saw the cashews fall to the floor, she realized what he was doing, “you’re stealing,” she let her dress go, “you’re not going?”

He quickly eyed the cashew on the floor and then looked back to her. “S’not stealing if it was free to begin with.” He shrugged. “No. Parties are sort of- not my scene. I guess. Especially a party where you don’t know who anyone it, sounds like a nightmare.” He sighed, picking one of the cashews from is stomach and placing it in his mouth. Doc took his hand a fixed an out of place hair back behind her ear. He smiled, a bit sadly, but that was how most of his smiles appeared. “You look really amazing, just in case whatever lame-o Gryffindor forgets to tell you.”

Doc had never been a party person. He was a snack person though- so he made his ultra-brief, ten minute appearance so stuff his stomach with cake and load his pockets with mixed nuts before heading out. He hadn’t even put forth any effort in his appearance. His hair was unbrushed and he was wearing his uniform trousers and shirt. At least it was tucked in?

He headed out the front entrance when he bumped- literally bumped- into a person. “Oh- hi- ‘m sorry about that? I should have been paying attention.” He was trying to ignore the cashews that had fallen out of his pocket. “-Yeah, sorry.”

“mainly on the clear nights,” she admitted, grimacing and shaking her head at the mention of aliens, “don’t start with those damn aliens, caradoc dearborn,” she scoffed before laughing quietly. she noted the times he was usually up there not only so she wouldn’t fun into him by accident, but also she could know where he was if she needed to find him. stepping out in the chilly air, gabriella regretted wearing the thin blouse beneath her robes. with all those people involved, she wondered what could possibly have happened, especially with the inclusion of the gryffindor house ghost, “oh..” she frowned before smiling nervously. “oh goodness, i meant to find you and check on you about something regarding your ex, i wanted to see how you were feeling seeing as no one’s been really asking about your side and your feelings–” she cut herself off, catching how caring she sounded, “–not that..” she bit the corner of her lip, “just if you’re not angry and stuff, in case you want to talk.”

“Literally- a week and a half ago you were tellin’ me how cool it was that I have special interests. You’re sending me mixed signals Gabby.” He laughed as they continued to walk. Doc was always prepared for the cold because he was constantly wandering and hated to be uncomfortable while he was doing it. Luckily the weather was only chilly, so, with all his layers he was actually a bit warm. He looked over at Gabby and her noticeably less layered attired, “hey, do you want one of my layers- I want to take one off but I also don’t want to carry it around.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosy, I - “Before he could finish his little apology however, he had already started to talk about what went on. “Wait, you hexed a professor?” he asked in shock. But his tale only seemed to get more and more gruesome. “You damaged Ravenclaw’s portrait?” he squeaked. “That can’t be true, aurors won’t get involved for such things.. right?” 

“It was on accident.” Doc understood why this was a big deal to some, including those present in the emergency parent-administration meeting that was held. But it was an accidents. Accidents happened to good people too. “-and it’s just an old painting. Isn’t like it’s got the map to the holy grail in invisible ink on the back-,” he turned his head, “waitaminute. What if there’s an invisible map to the holy grail on the back?”

“i guess that’s what that is,” she chuckled softly, “no, i do have some fun, after hours in the astronomy tower is fun to me, i like looking at the stars and thinking about things,” she shrugged, offering a polite smile. Their pace was already quite slow and steady, something gabriella learned to embrace during these past quiet days. “wh–why? why were you s–” she stopped herself, when he said it wasn’t important, “are you okay, though?”

“You hit the astronomy tower up too? See any Aliens yet?” He smiled, grinning because he knew how she felt about this topic, “I’m always up there. Usually between three and four but I don’t much like to keep a strict schedule so. Surprising we haven’t run into each other again.” They turned the corner, officially exiting the castle and into the mid-day chill. “Oh, I’m fine. Thank you for asking. Slughorn’s fine. Nearly Headless Nick is fine. Mum was grand because she got to see me. It’s all good.”

He didn’t take long, as usual. These whole trip to the Hospital Wing remind her of back when they were together.Alice had always been trying to spare some time to keep him company during his appointment. That’s the least she can do. She flashed him a nod as he came back.

“–Hence all the boring prefect stuffs? Nothing much, I’m afraid. How about you?”

“I never thought your prefect stuff what that boring,” He thought everything about being a prefect was boring. They had scheduled times to wander the halls looking to get others into trouble. They had to go to class. They had to fall in line with the standards of society. It was all very un-Caradoc. “-at least, the stories you told are always interesting.” Doc liked the ones where the younger students came up with the most unrealistic excuses for being out of bed.  

“You two got mini vacations and I’m jealous. Leaving me here without the scoop until after you’re back. I went looking for you earlier, too. For al lI knew, you’d been shriveled up in some corner.”

“I would think any person trying needs to be tested.” As protective as he was over his friends, it extended to Doc’s mum in events like this where his assistance could be required. “Yeah, I know. We’ll find out if he can take what we throw at him then.”

“Why would I be shriveled up in some corner? It’s not that cold outside yet. And maybe if you were somehow in my potions class at the time- you would have also gotten a mini vacation. Hell, I can cook up something that will get you on a mini vacation.”

Of all the people Arlo could have bumped into in the school, of course he bumped into his estranged cousin. Arlo never really did find out why Doc wasn’t around the family as much at the others -  he figures it was just because he was closer to his mum and he was his dad which also happened to be Arlo’s uncle. Whenever he did get the chance to speak to Doc, he was always friendly and civil, he had no reason not to be.

“Oh um yeah… I was at Quidditch practice for most of the day, I just finished up about ten minutes ago. I haven’t come down with Mucusgins, I can assure you of that.”

“Oh. Well that makes sense I guess. But watch out because the initial sweat attracts it and then suddenly you’re sweating profusely and your ears are changing colors and everything is upside down and-,” He could go on. It really was an unfortunate illness. And being able to catch it was supposedly genetic so Arlo should really be on the lookout just in case.

“um, just around, i guess,” gabriella smiled politely, a soft frown on her forehead as she didn’t expect him to notice her absence, but there was the underlying thought of how she did enjoy her time with him on the tower. “no, yeah, i’ve just been busy, i guess, lots of time with my studies, the library, the astronomy tower–uhh,” she shrugged, hugging her notebook and folder tighter. “just looking for things to do as i’ve been pretty bored, lately,” especially without quidditch on her schedule, “what about you? uh,” she swallowed, “where’ve you been?”

“All work and no fun, sounds like to me. And busy. You should pencil some fun in sometime,” He told her as they continued to walk. Now that he thought about it- he hadn’t seen her at all. He would have said hello. Even if she was with her somewhat-threatening Slytherin pals. Doc had never much cared for them but he also didn’t care about them enough to not be polite to someone he liked. “Wandering mostly. I got sent home a couple of weekends ago. For an incident. S’not all that important though.” They turned the corner.

“You make such a great point. All those vile medicines that take forever to actually kick in and then the healing process feels neverending…I mean, he probably just wanted the attention. Or a few days off.” That thought made him chuckle.

““Well then, whatever you need help with, I’m on it. I’ve been meaning to brush up on my spy skills anyway. And I have some er…tougher pranks we could set up to test this fella with. No one until you assess whatever dirt you find.”

“Well it works because I got to go home, he got to go home, Nearly Headless Nick finally has something new to talk about because he witnessed it. Everyone wins.”

gabriella was far too distracted and that was certainly because all the time she’d spent by herself was a series of uninterrupted thoughts and she was addicted to it, so gabriella narrowed her eyes while doc spoke to really focus on him and not what was happening around them or in her head, “the bloody baron..right..” she nodded, finally putting a thought together when she averted her eyes before looking back at him, her brain recalling what he was saying to her, “he’s not for everyone, i suppose, but i can understand that, even peeves is terrified and he doesn’t respect anyone,” she spoke softly. “umm,” she reached up to pinch her bottom lip between her fingers, “coffee sounds alright,” she nodded, “yeah, let’s do it.”

“Cool.” He nodded with a small smile forming on his face. He turned in the opposite direction and began to walk. He’d left his cake from last night in the kitchens, and it shouldn’t be an issue to make coffee there. It was likely also at its peak deliciousness- he’d made it last night, went for a long walk, and then iced it around three in the morning. It had had plenty of time to set. “So. Gabby. Where ya been? I haven’t seen you since that night at the tower.”

something resembling relief washed over gabriella when caradoc was the one who approached her and thought she wanted to smile, all she could do was stare at him, letting her eyes roam over his face while he rambled on and on and somehow a frightening thought of her leaning forward and pressing her lips to his to quiet him caused a frown of confusion (or was it disgust?) to form onto her forehead, just to take advantage of her newfound freedom. letting her thoughts fall back into sync with her eyes, she blinked slowly, finally coming back to reality. “…what? i’m sorry, i was–what were you saying?”

“I was saying that I’m tired and the Bloody Baron gives me the heebie-jeebies.” He examined her features- she looked lost. Like confused lost. He recognized that face because he’d seen it in the mirror- last year between episodes of paranoia. He hadn’t seen Gabby since that night. Not even around, out and about. Perhaps there was a reason for that. “And that we should get coffee. I made a cake last night, too.”

“One of the reasons I like you.”

“They’re blowing it out of proportion, perhaps? There you go! Sounds like a plan, he’ll love them.” Doc’s mum was fantastic with those heartwarming gifts, Slughorn wouldn’t be able to resist or forgive. “Ah, so she’s happier?”

“I think so. Literally what can’t be healed with magic? You know? You grew up going to a doctor like I did- having to take all those liquids and going to appointments to fix things. Here? You literally go into the hospital wing missing an arm and it’s grown back in fifteen minutes no problem or questions asked.”

“Really? HOLY SHIT. Like, you actually saw a green, bug-eyed creature?”

“Um- no. Well, yeah. But it didn’t look like that. It was grey.”